Tom Stanton

Baseball has witnessed more than 125,000 home runs. Many have altered the outcome of games, and some have decided pennants and become legend. But no dinger has had greater impact than Hank Aaron's 715th home run. His historic blast on April 8, 1974, lifted him above Babe Ruth on the all-time list, an achievement that shook not only baseball but our nation itself. Aaron's magnificent feat provoked bigotry and shattered prejudice, inspired a generation, emboldened a flagging civil rights movement, and called forth the demons that haunted Aaron's every step and turned what should have been a joyous pursuit into a hellish nightmare.In this powerful recollection, Tom Stanton penetrates the myth of Aaron's chase and uncovers the compelling story behind the most consequential athletic achievement of the past fifty years. Three decades after Hank Aaron reached the pinnacle of the national pastime, and now as Barry Bonds makes history of his own, Stanton unfolds a tale rich with drama, poignancy, and suspense to bring to life the elusive spirit of an American hero.

A facsimile reproduction of the 1946 history of the Detroit TigersFred Lieb's team history of the Detroit Tigers was originally published in1946 as part of the celebrated series of major league team histories published by G. P. Putnam. With their colorful prose and delightful narratives, the Putnam books have been described as the Cadillac of team histories and have become prized collectibles for baseball readers and historians.High or low in the standings, the Detroit Tigers have always been a fighting baseball club. From the time of Watkins's famous Detroits of the early National League, who in 1887 defeated the St. Louis Browns in a circus fifteen-game World Series, to Steve O'Neill's Tiger World Champions of 1945, headed by home run king Hank Greenberg, much happened in the early days of Detroit baseball.The most frightening Tiger of them all was the incomparable Ty Cobb, who many argue is the sport's best player ever. And around Cobb we see the historic cast that won pennants in 1907, 1908, and 1909: Hughie Jennings with his Ee-yah yell from the coaching line, the inimitable Germany Schaefer clowning at second, Walloping Sam Crawford, the great shortstop Donie Bush, dashing George Moriarity, and the pitching titans Smiling Bill Donovan and George Mullin.The Detroit Tigers is filled with anecdotes and intimate glimpses of the players, managers, and owners who throughout the years have made the Tigers one of the most competitive and colorful teams in baseball. The Tigers have always given the fans a great show—and they give the reader an exciting time in this reprint of Fred Lieb's The Detroit Tigers.

A New York Times Bestseller Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Book of the Year Winner in True Crime ·Selected as one of “2016’s Great Reads” by NPR ·Finalist for the 2016 CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year ·An unforgettable cauldron of history, crime, race, and sports Now in paperback comes the critically acclaimed New York Times Bestseller about a championship city haunted by a wave of racist terror. Detroit, mid-1930s was abuzz over its unrivaled sports success when gun-loving baseball fan Dayton Dean became ensnared in the nefarious Black Legion. The secretive, Klan-like group murdered enemies, flogged associates, and planned armed rebellion. The Legion boasted tens of thousands of members across the Midwest, among them politicians and prominent citizens—even, possibly, a beloved athlete. Award-winning author Tom Stanton has written a stunning tale of history, crime, and sports. “[A] head-turning tale of the generally forgotten Black Legion terrorist group and Detroit in the 1930s.” —US News & World Report

Tom Stanton's Ty and The Babe tells of the incredible saga of baseball's fiercest rivals, the forging of a surprising friendship, and the battle for the 1941 Has-Beens Golf ChampionshipEarly in the twentieth century, fate thrust a young Babe Ruth into the gleaming orbit of Ty Cobb. The resulting collision produced a dazzling explosion and a struggle of mythic magnitude. At stake was not just baseball dominance, but eternal glory and the very soul of a sport. For much of fourteen seasons, the Cobb-Ruth rivalry occupied both men and enthralled a generation of fans. Even their retirement from the ball diamond didn't extinguish it. On the cusp of America's entry into World War II, a quarter century after they first met at Navin Field, Cobb and Ruth rekindled their long-simmering feud-this time on the golf course. Ty and Babe battled on the fairways of Long Island, New York; Newton, Massachusetts; and Grosse Ile, Michigan; in a series of charity matches that spawned national headlines and catapulted them once more into the spotlight. Ty and The Babe is the story of their remarkable relationship. It is a tale of grand gestures and petty jealousies, superstition and egotism, spectacular feats and dirty tricks, mind games and athleticism, confrontations, conflagrations, good humor, growth, redemption, and, ultimately, friendship. Spanning several decades, Ty and The Babe conjures the rollicking cities of New York, Boston, and Detroit and the raucous world of baseball from 1915 to 1928, as it moved from the Deadball days of Cobb to the Lively Ball era of Ruth. It also visits the spring and summer of 1941, starting with the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, where Cobb formally challenged Ruth, and continuing with the golf showdown that saw both men employ secret weapons. On these pages, author Tom Stanton challenges the stereotypes that have cast Cobb forever as a Satan and Ruth as a Santa Claus. Along the way, he brings to life a parade of memorable characters: Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Grantland Rice, Tris Speaker, Lou Gehrig, Will Rogers, Joe DiMaggio, a trick shot-shooting former fugitive, and a fifteen-year-old caddy with an impeccable golf lineage. No other ball players dominated their time as formidably as Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. Even today, many decades since either man walked this earth, they tower over the sport. Who was better? Who was the greatest? Those questions followed them throughout their baseball careers, into retirement, and onto the putting greens. That they linger yet is a testament to their talents and personalities.

Tom Stanton's The Final Season offers a powerful memoir of fathers, sons, and the end of a baseball era. Maybe your dad took you to ball games at Fenway, Wrigley, or Ebbets. Maybe the two of you watched broadcasts from Yankee Stadium or Candlestick Park, or listened as Red Barber or Vin Scully called the plays on radio. Or maybe he coached your team or just played catch with you in the yard. Chances are good that if you're a baseball fan, your dad had something to do with it--and your thoughts of the sport evoke thoughts of him. If so, you will treasure The Final Season, a poignant true story about baseball and heroes, family and forgiveness, doubts and dreams, and a place that brings them all together. Growing up in the 60s and 70s, Tom Stanton lived for his Detroit Tigers. When Tiger Stadium began its 88th and final season, he vowed to attend all 81 home games in order to explore his attachment to the place where four generations of his family have shared baseball. Join him as he encounters idols, conjures decades past, and discovers the mysteries of a park where Cobb and Ruth played. Come along and sit beside Al Kaline on the dugout bench, eat popcorn with Elmore Leonard, hear Alice Cooper's confessions, soak up the warmth of Ernie Harwell, see McGwire and Ripken up close, and meet Chicken Legs Rau, Bleacher Pete, Al the Usher, and a parade of fans who are anything but ordinary. By the autumn of his odyssey, Stanton comes to realize that his anguish isn't just about the loss of a beloved ballpark but about his dad's mortality, for at the heart of this story is the love between fathers and sons--a theme that resonates with baseball fans of all ages.

Grammy winner for Can You Feel the Love Tonight from Disney's 1994 blockbuster movie ^The Lion King, Elton John is a musician who has transcended generations. Since his U.S. debut 26 years ago, E.J. has had a top-40 hit every year. This first reference dedicated to the legendary singer/songwriter, who has been enchanting fans for nearly three decades, contains hundreds of anecdotes on people, places, and things related to his career. It includes a behind-the-scenes look at every album, a comprehensive list of all songs written or recorded (dozens never released), and the most extensive look ever at E.J.'s pre-career life. Well researched, the volume's rich detail offers a gold mine of Elton John trivia gathered by one of the artist's premier historians and the editor of the international Elton John fan magazine East End Lights. Fans and popular music buffs will enjoy the comprehensive treatment more than a quarter century since Elton John's U.S. debut. There are four sections to this encyclopedia: Elton A-Z, featuring explanations, details, and anecdotes related to aspects of his career and life, with entries on celebrity friends, important places, and a wide variety of other topics; Albums, giving a chrononlogical, behind-the-scenes look at his more than 35 albums up to and including 1995's Made in England; Performances, listing his concert tours year by year, highlighting major performances such as John Lennon's final stage appearance in a 1974 show, a 1979 concert in Russia, and a little-publicized 1992 tribute; and Songs, listing alphabetically more than 500 songs recorded or written by Elton John.

Grammy winner for Can You Feel the Love Tonight from Disney's 1994 blockbuster movie The Lion King, Elton John is a musician that has transcended generations. Since his U.S. debut 25 years ago, E.J. has had a top-40 hit every year. This first reference dedicated to the legendary singer/songwriter, who has been enchanting fans for nearly three decades, contains hundreds of anecdotes on people, places, and things related to his career. It includes a behind-the-scenes look at every album, a comprehensive list of all songs written or recorded (dozens never released), and the most extensive look ever at E.J.'s pre-career life. Well researched, the volume's rich detail offers a gold mine of Elton John trivia gathered by one of the artist's premier historians and the editor of the international Elton John fan magazine East End Lights. Fans and popular music buffs will enjoy the comprehensive treatment on this 25th anniversary of Elton John's U.S. debut. There are four sections to this encyclopedia: Elton A-Z, featuring explanations, details, and anecdotes related to aspects of his career and life, with entries on celebrity friends, important places, and a wide variety of other topics; Albums, giving a chrononlogical, behind-the-scenes look at his more than 35 albums up to and including 1995's Made in England; Performances, listing his concert tours year by year, highlighting major performances such as John Lennon's final stage appearance in a 1974 show, a 1979 concert in Russia, and a little-publicized 1992 tribute; and Songs, listing alphabetically more than 500 songs recorded or written by Elton John.